Training future power engineers

This article presented some of the views of representatives from industry, academia, and government, who all share a common vision: to be able to put together a structure that allows the proper training of the best power engineers, capable of meeting the challenges posed by the continued expansion of the future electric power grid. For industry, these challenges include managing the in-house knowledge in such a way that it is preserved and transferred to new graduates, while at the same time collaborating with universities to maximize the industrial relevance of engineering programs. For universities, the challenges are even more difficult to meet: satisfying industry demands, while preserving their independence and continuing to provide a basic education that can carry graduates through a career that span many decades. In power engineering, these challenges are more difficult to meet, given the multidisciplinary nature of the field and the still limited employment opportunities. Finally for government, there is a unique opportunity to serve the needs of both universities and industry, and to allow universities to train adequately highly qualified personnel.